


One Step

by entermates



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: (it's my first time using archive tags so some tags may change later on!), Gen, pretty much all of the arc v characters are here, ships to be added!, unwanteds au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-04-13 23:12:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14122905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/entermates/pseuds/entermates
Summary: In the land of Academia, children at the age of fourteen must go through the annual Purge. There, the children are separated in to three groups- Wanted, Necessary, and Unwanted. After all, Academia can only prevail if the strong are allowed to survive.Yuya Sakaki has learned of his fate as an Unwanted, and is prepared to accept his death. As Yuya boards the bus and heads to his death, he learns everything he ever knew about Academia was a lie. Upon their supposed death, The Unwanteds are saved and taken to a strange land that's made of creativity- something they'd been taught against all their life.





	1. PURGE

**Author's Note:**

> "hey you really like this book let's make a complex au for it"- me @ three am in the morning.
> 
> hello! I'm really, really excited to share my Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Unwanteds AU with you all!!! This is the most dedicated I've ever been to an AU, and I really wanted to try my hand at writing it out and developing it! 
> 
> I wasn't really planning on posting this au anywhere at first, but it's Arc A Anniversary month! Day two's theme was AUs, so here we are folks!! This is my first time writing something so big, but fingers crossed it all comes together in the end!
> 
> Chapter Theme- [Memoria](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4knmPhxPlH0&t=1s)

**you’re going to die.**

* * *

 

Harsh winds blow through Yuya’s hair as he walks to his… Demise? He isn’t sure how to word it, and demise sounds.. It sounds.. It sounds sad? The word sounded sad, but his situation didn’t feel sad. Yuya couldn’t figure out the right word. Not knowing something was the usual feeling, as Academia’s teachings were the barest of minimums. Yuya's mother places a hand on his shoulder, and urges him along.

Yoko is silent, and that’s not right. He’d expected her to cry, or say something to help the sick feeling in his gut. But his mother said nothing. She kept her hand on his shoulder, and pushed him onwards.

They reach the crowd, and that feeling in Yuya’s stomach goes.. Up? That’s what they said when numbers gained more in math, and maybe that could apply to feelings as well. The feeling in his stomach shouldn't matter, because Yuya was going to die today. The crowd stands before a the palace. The palace was where the leader of Academia lived. Most people look up at the palace balcony, like they’re waiting for someone to appear.

Yuya choses to look elsewhere, spotting a familiar face in the crowd. Yuto stands with his parents, wearing the same dull, grey clothing that everyone else wears in Academia.

“Yuto!” Yuya calls out, hoping Yuto would at least acknowledge it.

Yuto gives a glare in Yuya’s direction, nothing more. It’s something Yuya should’ve expected, but…

_He’s still upset, huh..?_

“CITIZENS OF ACADEMIA,” a booming voice cuts off Yuya’s thoughts, and the crowd silences.

“This is our annual purge. As you know, we do this for one purpose, and one purpose only. Academia prevails-”

“WHEN THE STRONG SURVIVE!” The crowd finishes him off.

A man now stands on the balcony, clad in dark clothing. Leo Akaba. Everyone knows him as the leader of Academia, and the one who’s kept Academia strong for all of these years.

 

  _Every year, children at the age of fourteen go through Academia’s purged. The weak are rooted out so the strong may survive. The children are forced into three groups (as deemed by Leo Akaba): Wanted, Necessary, and Unwanted._

 

This year, there were exactly fifty-two 14 year olds for the purge. Yuya’s stomach was still acting strange. Again, it didn’t matter to Yuya. He’d be dying soon, and a stomach should be the least of his concerns.

Leo Akaba holds a list in his hands, and begins to read off the names of The Wanteds. Yuya tunes the first few out, but one does stand out to Yuya in particular- _Yuri._

Yuri had a grin plastered on his face as he walked towards the other wanteds. It was no shock Yuri was a wanted. He had top grades, and not a single infraction. It was the opposite of what Yuya could say for himself. Yuya had infraction after infraction- he’d stopped caring ever since his mother had sat him down and told him he would die.

The Wanteds stood at the palace entrance, tall and proud. Yuya sort of knew the others- there was Dennis, and the girls who were twins. Among the thirteen, there was a girl who didn’t look proud. She looked how Yuya’s stomach felt at that moment. Her green eyes were looking all around, and her arms were folded.

Yuya didn’t have anymore time to question her actions, as Leo Akaba started speaking once more.

“And these are our Wanteds. The strongest of Academia! May Academia prevail as they survive!”

 

  _Wanteds are the perfect children. No infractions, perfect scores, and following every command. The wanteds are entered into the academy, and trained to join Academia’s top ranks: The Obelisk Force._

 

Next the Necessaries were called. There were even fewer of them- only nine. Yuya could see them letting out breaths and walking to stand near the wanteds. There were so few wanteds, and even fewer necessaries. That… that meant more would die.

Yuya looks up to see Yugo on stage, standing right next to Rin. A faint smile crossed his lips. _At least those two can be together._

Leo Akaba doesn’t give a speech like he did for the Wanteds. He simply coughs, and moves on to the list of unwanteds. Yuya could see the looks on the crowd’s faces. So many faces he recognized - Yuzu, Ruri, Sawatari, Yuto…

They were going to be sentenced to their deaths.

The remaining thirty names were called, and everyone stood still until the list was finished. Even as his own name was called, Yuya didn’t want to accept it. He didn’t want to move- he didn’t want to board the bus of death!

Yuya bites back tears as his mother whispers goodbye. Again, she urges him forward. Yuya’s feet move slowly, and it takes him what feels like hours to stand with the other unwanteds. Most of the group is silent, others are struggling not to cry, and there’s even some among the group that are crying.

 

_The Necessaries contribute to the working class in academia. They are responsible for tending to crops, building houses, and other tasks. They might have a bad mark or two, nothing major._

_The unwanteds, are as the name states: Unwanted. The unwanteds are the “problem children.” They have serious infractions, and they’re disregarded by all of Academia. As punishment for their infractions, the unwanted children are sentenced to their deaths._

 

Leo Akaba doesn’t say anything else. He turns, walking back into the palace. The obelisk force steps forward to guide the Unwanteds to the bus. The Unwanteds start to cry out and protest, but are soon silenced by the Obelisk Force. The Obelisk Force guides them to the bus, with metal weapons at the Unwanteds’ backs. Yuya could feel one digging into his back, and it was enough to start his tears up again.

The bus is old and worn down. It’ll take the Unwanteds to the Great Lake of Boiling oil, where they’ll be thrown in one-by-one. A large chain is brought out, with sets of cuffs attached to it. The cuffs are forced onto the children’s hands, and they’re guided onto the bus in a line. Yuya’s shoved into a seat next to a boy with short blue hair. The boy looks younger than the rest, and Yuya wanted to ask him about it. The Obelisk Force issued a warning for talking on the ride, shutting Yuya’s question down instantly.

Yuya looked out the window, watching as the gates of Academia open, and the bus drives through. _I’m not ready… I’m not ready to die!_

 

_But that isn’t the entire case. You may be wandering, what is an infraction? What qualifies as a major and minor one? You see, creativity is an infraction. Anything and everything creative under the sun qualifies as one. Academia is a land devoid of creativity; it holds people back, and is only a weakness. In order for the strong to survive, that weakness must be purged._

 

 


	2. WANTED

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter theme: [beginning of a long night.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9RcRfp7l14)
> 
> edit - 5/22/18: originally posted the wrong version of this chapter, whoops. that’s all fixed now!!

**Academia prevails when the strong survive.**

* * *

Yuri stood proudly on the steps, watching the bus speed away. He was strong. He was the strongest, and he would make sure Academia prevailed. 

Once the bus was out of sight, Leo Akaba returned to the balcony. Yuri listened to Leo Akaba speak. He listened to that cracking voice- even noticing the tone of vexation in his words as he spoke of the Unwanteds.

Akaba spoke of their failures. He spoke of their weaknesses - something Yuri was no stranger to. He knew what made the Unwanteds weak in the eyes of Academia- he knew their infractions like the back of his hand. _Yuto had done something they’d call… drawing?_

Yuri had no care for the technical terms. All that mattered was that it was wrong. It was against the regulations Academia had set forth. So, one-by-one, he’d turned them in. He could list their names in his head, but it wouldn’t matter. They were sent to die, as the weak should. 

Akaba ends his speech by speaking of strength. He speaks of how the wanteds will prevail- about how they’ll rise to the top and join the Obelisk Force. They’ll stand together in serving Academia.

But Yuri has no plans for that. His sights are set on a higher position. He glances up to the balcony. He’s unable to see Leo Akaba, but he hears the balcony doors slam shut. That’s the end of the purge. 

People begin to talk- not about the purge, of course. It’s already a far off memory to most. The people talk of how to spend their day. The purge served as the one holiday Academia had. After the purge, citizens were free to do as they liked- even the Necessaries.

Yuri walked off the steps, listening to the groups of people speak. 

_Did you hear about the Kurosaki’s? That’s their second Unwanted child. They’ll be cut off from production._

_It’ll do you well to forget about those children- they only would’ve hindered Academia._

Yuri grinned, stepping forward to meet his parents. Unlike the others, he had work to do. Yuri had to go home, and prepare for tomorrow. He had to be ready for his first day at Academia.

* * *

 

Serena sits at the foot of her bed, glancing at the empty bag. She’d been told to pack by her parents. Academia students lived in the dormitories. It was a sign of strength- no longer were they children that depended on their parents for everything. The Wanteds were independent and strong. 

But Serena didn’t feel that way. She didn't feel like a Wanted. She wasn't proud or ready for the thought of joining the Obelisk Force. Serena felt uneasy. If she was going to be honest with herself, Serena wasn't sure she even wanted to be a _wanted._ But... It wasn't like the other two options were any better.. She glares at the worn uniform in her closet. It’s gray and dull, like everything else in Academia. The ground was grey dirt, the buildings were made of grey bricks, and so on. The brightest color was the green of trees in the nursery and cattle- the only trees in Academia.

_Grey, grey, grey. That’s all this place is. It’s not anything to be proud of._

Serena doesn’t understand. She doesn’t understand why she’s a Wanted. She’d never been at the top of their class, like Yuri or Grace. She had minor infractions like Yugo and Rin, so why wasn’t she a Necessary? **Why wasn’t she an Unwanted?** Why wasn’t she with Ruri, Sawatari, or Yuzu?

_Yuzu._

Serena remembers the time Yuzu had come over. She’d… She’d done something with her voice. There was a sound coming out- but it wasn’t words. It was like Yuzu was stretching out the sound of one letter over and over again, but it didn’t sound bad. At one point, Yuzu stopped, and looked at Serena.

“It’s.. it’s called singing, I think,” Yuzu pauses. “But it sounds nice, right?”

Serena could only nod in response. She didn’t know how to describe it at the time, but she felt the smile on her face, and saw the smile on Yuzu’s.

She remembers standing up, and moving around as Yuzu continued what she was doing. Serena moved her feet to Yuzu’s voice. Forward as Yuzu sang- and backwards as she didn’t. She moved side to side a few times, and there was a quiet laugh from Yuzu. It was the first time Serena felt anything besides sadness in Academia, and now she’d never feel it again. Yuzu was dead- along with nearly everyone Serena had grown up with.

Serena stands, looking down at her feet. Her feet move forwards, backwards, and side-to-side, like they did on that day. Serena doesn’t know why it feels wrong- or why it feels like something she should hide.

But she’ll hide it. She’ll hide it, and become strong. She’ll become strong and prevail for all of her friends that are dead- not for Academia.

_Never for Academia, or for Leo Akaba. Never._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> meant to mention this last chapter, but feel free to ask me questions on Tumblr! (@entermates)!!


End file.
